The Audio File: The Resistible Rise of J.R. Brinkley

 I'm guessing by now that you guys know the drill. Well, one of the drills that we have around here. I'm happy to review any podcast that I am asked, but I also don't hesitate to give my honest opinion. With all of that in mind, let's jump right into it. We're taking a look at The Resistible Rise of J. R. Brinkley. 

The Resistible Rise of J.R. Brinkley tells the story of rise and fall of Populist politician John R. Brinkley. He was a "doctor" from Kansas who developed a "cure" for impotence by transplanting goat testicles into impotent men. In case the quotes didn't make it obvious, he was actually a quack and a snake oil salesman. However, enough people bought into his supposed cure for him to eventually going into politics, with his ultimate goal to become president. We are taken along for all the ups, downs, twists, and turns in the story of one very crazy would-be politician. 

I first became aware of this audio drama when I was browsing the r/audiodrama subreddit. Series creator Edward Einhorn was asking for people to review his new audio drama. It was adapted from a play he had written, and he didn't have much experience figuring out how to get reviews and promotions of audio dramas. I was quite pleased when I saw that another commenter listed me along with several other individuals who review audio dramas. The subject matter of the podcast seemed up my alley, so I volunteered my services. 
 
The audio drama alternates between dramatic reenactments from the life of J.R. Brinkley, and a host segment where Edward talks about how the podcast came together, and interviews various experts on the subjects ranging from Populist Politics of the 1920 to the history of Country Music. Edward is joined by his co-host Dan Butler, who you may remember as Bulldog from Frasier. 
 
Edward described the reenactment segments as taking place in the theatre of the absurd. Whenever I hear that term, I always think of the 1966 Adam West Batman TV series. It's fairly fitting for description for the reenactment segments. They're very over the top, melodramatic, and campy; but in a tongue-in-cheek, self-aware sort of way. I hadn't heard of J.R. Brinkley before I listened to this audio drama. From my own preliminary research, he certainly seems like a larger than life, over the top sort of figure that might seem like he couldn't possibly exist. Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction. Also, I always appreciate it when audio dramas team me about historical figures that I hadn't known of before. 
 
One would think it would have been fairly obvious that Brinkley was a quack from the start. After all, if transplanting goat testicles into people did work, then there should be significantly more satyrs and fauns running around in America. As we all know, most American satyrs volunteer at summer camp on Long Island, and the fauns hangout in an Ancient Roman city in California. For those who don't get it, that's a Percy Jackson reference. 
 
Of course, Brinkley was hardly the only snake oil salesman in 1920's America. This was the age when radithor was a popular new beverage. Radithor was made by combining distilled water with radium drops. It too was claimed to cure impotence, among other things. Obviously, this was a load of horseshit. In fact, one man named Eben Byers drank so much radithor his lower jaw fell off. He had to be buried in a lead-lined casket. When they dug him up in 1965 his corpse was still incredibly radioactive. Still, at least his death led to a strengthening of the FDA. There are several skulls from people who took radithor that have huge holes in them due to all the radiation. 
 
Now, before we judge the people of the 1920s too harshly, let's not forget that there are still many examples of medical quackery and pseudoscience still running around to this day. You've got people who push things such as homeopathy and crystal healing, or those Internet ads that tout the wonders of various fruits that supposedly burn fat. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose; that is, the more things change, the more they stay the same. 
 
It's pretty much impossible to talk about The Resistible Rise of J.R. Brinkley without comparing it to another audio drama: 1865. In both cases, they're historical fiction audio dramas that deal with events in American History that resonate in the president day. Both series also feature commentary from their creators and experts on the relevant subject matter. Albeit, there are some fairly significant differences. 1865 takes a much more serious approach to its subject matter, and any humor is of the decidedly unintentional variety. Similarly, the parallels within 1865 to the present day were unintentional. By contrast, the parallels to the present day, specifically to the presidency of Donald Trump, are baked into Resistible Rise by design. 
 
I bring this up because I feel that there are a few things Resistible Rise could learn from 1865. For example, I found that presentation of Resistible Rise to be disjointed and uneven. It didn't like how it constantly fluctuated between the reenactment and commentary segments. Certain comments Edward made suggest that this was not the case for the stage version of Resistible Rise. His comments suggest that the reenactments played as a continuous whole, and then the commentary happened once the show was over. I really think that's how the podcast should have gone. Alternatively, you do the 1865 method. Play a whole reenactment episode, and then do a behind the scenes companion episode. Either way, it would help things flow better. As it stands, the podcast almost feels like a demo reel made in hopes that the show will get picked up by a big-name producer. 
 
Another issue is the way Resistible Rise presented its views and information. Like I said, from conception Resistible Rise was conceived as a commentary on the presidency of Donald Trump. To this end, Edward alerted some quotes from Brinkley by splicing them together with quotes from Donald Trump. This was a terrible idea. I would have preferred if they'd just presented Brinkley quotes as they actually are, rather than splicing them. Let the audience draw their own conclusions and parallels. Your audience is not dumb, respect their intelligence. This also had the unfortunate side-effect of making the message of the podcast as subtle as a baseball bat to the face. Again, the audience isn't dumb, they can smell a moral coming a mile away. 
 
I really hate to have to compare Resistible Rise to 1865 again, but I think this is another point Resistible Rise could learn from. Basically, it comes down to allegory vs applicability; with 1865 favoring applicability vs. Resistible Rise going with allegory. You can certainly see parallels to the Trump presidency, but the story of 1865 can be applied to more than just that. By constant, Resistible Rise is attached to Trump at the hip. I can see 1865 being talked about and listened to for year to come, but I'm not so sure Resistible Rise has the same sort of legs. 
 
Let the audience draw their own conclusions. There are some areas of overlap, and areas of contrast, between Brinkley and Trump. They were both populist candidates who lead surprisingly successful political campaigns, and both attempted to run for president. Trump was obviously more successful, but Brinkley did pretty well for a write-in candidate during the Kansas gubernatorial election of 1930. Both men were also endorsed by some very unusual country singers. Brinkley had The Blind Cowboy, who he promised he could cure with goat glands. Obviously, this didn't happen. Trump had the support of The Naked Cowboy. He's a performer in Time Square who plays the guitar in nothing but a cowboy hat and two pairs of tighty whities. Under New York City law, one pair of underwear is nudity, but two pairs constitute clothing. 
 
They both also made some rather derogatory comments about people of other races. Brinkley was anti-Semitic, which was in large part motivated by how one of his biggest critics, Dr. Morris Fishbein, was a Jew. Though, later in life, Brinkley did come to admire Nazi Germany and its anti-Semitic policies. One of his goals in running for governor was to gain controls of the Kansas State Medical Board and staff it with yes-men loyal to him. Also, just as an aside, I wanted to say that I really enjoyed all of the parodies of popular country songs that appear throughout the show. 
 
So, then during one of the host segment, Edward and Dan are joined by Seth Cotlar to discuss things, and the topic of people who voted for Trump. Seth says, basically, "I'm not saying they're all racists and deplorables, but they're all a bunch of racist and deplorables." Now, this was unscripted, and Edward tells me this doesn't reflection his own views on the matter. All the same, yikes, that probably going to piss some people off. While I do commend Edward for wanting to keep thing uncut, perhaps it would have been prudent to keep that but out. I will also add that there is a Brinkley supporter named Jimmy who is presented in a sympathetic light, which does help a bit. 

Now, while it does have a few significant flaws, I do think that at its core, Resistible Rise is a good audio drama. I feel like it was taken out of the oven before it had a chance to fully bake. Perhaps it could have benefited for a bit more workshopping and tinkering with. There is nothing more disappointing when a promising audio drama wastes its potential.  
 
So, would I recommend The Resistible Rise of J. R. Brinkley? Uh...hmm, let me think about it for a minute. It does have a lot of really good moments; the musical numbers were fun, it tells the story of a fascinating yet not widely known individual, and occasionally does have some nice interview moments. On the other hand, it suffered from the disjointed plot structure, at times its social commentary was a bit too on the nose, and the interviews were a bit hit-and-miss at times. I’ll give a tentative thumbs up for now. I certainly hope that, if Edward has future plans for the show, he considers refining and expanding it. Resistible Rise is only four episodes long. So, even if you don't like it, at least you won't have lost too much time. Give it a listen and decide what you think.  
 
Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time. 

The Audio File: Treasure Island 2020

A new year means new entries into the public domain. I'm particularly excited because The Great Gatsby has finally entered the public domain. It should have entered a lot sooner, but you can thank Sonny Bono and The Walt Disney Corporation for artificially extending copyright terms beyond what was originally intended. But that's a discussion for another day. The point is, the public domain is a net good for writers, artists, and anyone else involved in a creative endeavor. It provides rich fodder for storytelling.

Yes, this does relate to the audio drama we're reviewing today. We're taking a look at Treasure Island 2020.

Treasure Island 2020 reimagines Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel as a modern-day time travel adventure. James Hawkins is a modern boy who lives with his mom at an old seaside motel on Montauk, Long Island. James longs for adventure, and for his father who mysterious disappeared years ago. He gets his adventure when a mysterious man named Billy Bones arrives at the motel. It soon becomes apparent that Billy Bones is a time traveler from the 18th Century. Before long, James is joined by two other kids named Max and Morgan, and the trio soon discover a portal to the past. They're about to embark on an adventure with pirates, time travel, buried treasure, and the adventure of a life time. But danger lurks around every corner. James and his friend must face-off against pirates in the past and a shadowy corporation in the present.

I was intrigued when I first heard about this audio drama, but I did have some hesitation. You see this is a co-production between Gen-Z Media and BYU Radio. BYU stands for Brigham Young University, the most notorious Mormon college in America, if not the world. As such, I was a bit worried that Treasure Island 2020 would wind-up being Mormon propaganda, or at least, have strong conservative overtones. Granted, I was reasonably certain that Gen-Z Media wouldn't let one of the shows be used as a soapbox for conservative opinions, but you never know. Thankfully, I can report that this was most certainly not the case. In fact, you could even describe Treasure Island 2020 as somewhat progressive at times.

Though one minor critique I'll give is the title of the audio drama. Originally, it was going to be called Time Pirates, but it got changed to Treasure Island 2020. Really should have stuck with the original title; much better and more evocative choice. Treasure Island 2020 just gives a "picked the name at the last minute" vibe.

The audio drama divides the action equally between the past and the present day. The section set in the past follow the plot of the original Stevenson novel fairly closely. In fact, I was actually pleasantly surprised by how faithful the segments in the past were to the original novel. Obviously, there are some differences. For example, in the original novel the captain was a man named Alexander Smollett. Here, the captain is a woman, who dresses like a man, named Bonny. Her name is a sly reference to Anne Bonny, a highly successful female pirate who disguised her as a man. It something of a tradition of adaptions of Treasure Island to recast at least one character as a woman to increase the number of female characters. In the book, Jim's mother was the only significant female character. For example, the Disney film Treasure Planet also made the captain a woman. Muppets Treasure Island cast Miss Piggy as Ben Gunn, or Benjaminia Gunn, as the case was. Kermit was cast as Captain Abraham, rather than Alexander.

Ben Gunn is reimagined as a scientist who discovered the secret of time travel. The kids recognize him as a fellow time traveler when they catch him singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" despite them being in 1754; a good twenty-two years before the start of the American Revolution. He's gone a bit loony after being stranded in the past on a Caribbean island for several years, but his mind is still sharp as ever. He dreams of delicious modern foods he no longer has, such as bagels. He also longs for sushi, which is strange, as you'd think he'd have access to plenty of raw fish.

Now let's talk about our main trio of heroes. They aren't exactly charting new territory in terms of characterization, but I thought they were all enjoyable kid hero characters. James was a good update of Jim Hawkins from the original novel. He's driven by his longing to follow in the footsteps of his father, who is no longer around. Max and Morgan are a study in contrast. Max is kind of like Arnold from The Magic School Bus; in that he constantly wishes he'd stayed home. He’s nerdy, would prefer to read book rather than have adventures, but he can be brave when the chips are down. Morgan, by contrast, jumps at the opportunity to have an adventure, and charges headlong into danger. Captain Bonny even takes Morgan under her wing and teachers her sword fighting.

Long John Silver is mostly faithful to his book counterpart, but eventually becomes more of an antihero rather than a true villain. In fact, by the end I'd say he was more of a hero than anything. He starts of friendly, cordial and polite. He even takes a shine to Max and help build up his confidence. Of course, like in the book, it's all an act due to him actually being a pirate. Though, he does switch sides to good once Dread Captain Flint arrives, but we'll get to that in a bit. Eventually, he journeys into present day to help the kids take down Flint and save the day. I enjoyed getting to see him trying to navigate through the modern world. For instance, it was fun seeing Long John so freaked out by seatbelts and tunnels, and discovering the wonders of New York pretzels.

This is a Gen-Z Media production, so you know the voice acting and sound effect will be top of the line. Some of the voice actors seemed familiar. I think James' actor might have been in Young Ben Franklin, but I can't be sure. Max also sounded familiar, but I can't place where, if any, I've heard his voice actor. In any event, everyone was great, and I hope to hear more from them all in the future.

Though, speaking of Young Ben Franklin, that's really a missed opportunity. Young Ben Franklin takes place in 1720, so the characters would be older but still alive. That meant they could have made cameos. If not Ben himself, then at least some of his friends. I'm just saying, it was a bit of a missed opportunity. 

Okay, now we've got to talk about some spoilers. So, if you don't want any of that, turn back now.

Last chance, you sure you want to continue?

Well okay, if everyone who wants out is gone, let's get into it.

Let's talk about Dread Captain Flint. In the novel, he's a ruthless pirate who hid his treasure on the titular island. However, he long dead by the time of the story. By contrast, there are rumors that he still roams the high seas of 1754 in Treasure Island 2020.

Oh, but it doesn't stop there. Remember that shadowy corporation I mentioned at the start of the review? Guess who runs it. I'll save you the trouble: it's Dread Captain Flint. He's discovered the time vortex and has become quite the successful businessman in the present day. His company specializes in treasure hunting and exploration. However, they've also become quite talented at hostile takeovers of smaller companies. Or, to put it another way, Flint is a modern-day pirate.

But why does Flint want this particular treasure? Well, it isn't gold or jewels, it's time. That is, whoever claims the treasure will become the master of time itself. Flint wants to use it to loot the greatest treasures of history, and become the ruler of all time.

At one point he attempts to kidnap Morgan, but she successfully fights back and rescues herself. I must admit, I didn't see that coming, and I'm surprised in a good way by it. It was a lot more progressive than I was expecting something partially made to BYU Radio to be.

So, there you have it. Treasure Island 2020 is an excellent science fiction time travel adaption of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel. It's aimed at kids, but can be easily enjoyed by adults. Listen to it today, you'll be glad that you did.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.

Riordan Retrospective: Camp Jupiter Classified

Welcome back to my Riordan Retrospective. For those of you just joining the fun, this is my look back at the works of Rick Riordan. That means Percy Jackson, its sequels, and spin-offs. This is less of a formal review and more of a relaxed look back. Last time, we took a look back at The Tyrant's Tomb. This time, we're taking a look back at Camp Jupiter Classified: A Probatio's Journal. As usual, we're going to start things off with a brief summary.

Camp Jupiter Classified is told in the form of a journal written by a camper named Claudia. She's a legacy of Mercury; specifically, he's her great-grandfather, and her dad was a former centurion in the Twelfth Legion. She has survived her training with Lupa and is ready to explore the wonders of Camp Jupiter and New Rome. At first, things go great, and she even makes some friends. Then a series of mishaps and strange occurrences begin to happen, and Claudia is suspect number one. Claudia must clear her name while unraveling a mystery that may hold the fate of Camp Jupiter and New Rome in the balance.

As soon as Camp Half-Blood Confidential came out I immediately thought "You know, I sure hope Rick makes a Camp Jupiter version of this." As you can see, Rick did indeed follow through on that. In fact, not only this as good as Camp Half-Blood Confidential and Brooklyn House Magician's Manual, I'd argue it exceeds them both in terms of quality. It is actually an interesting progression. Camp Half-Blood Confidential had a series of vignettes, Brooklyn House Magician's Manual had vignettes and also a continuous frame narrative, while Camp Jupiter Classified forgoes the vignettes in favor of a single continuous narrative told in the style of a journal. We also don't get interrupted by ads for various attractions, like Camp Half-Blood Confidential, or mythology quizzes like Brooklyn House Magician's Manual. Also, the text is accompanied by black and white pencil illustrations. I thought that it was a nice touch.

I really liked Claudia as a protagonist. She isn't a character we've previously encountered; this is her debut as a character. I loved that she's a legacy rather than a...well, we'll get into that soon enough. Back on-topic, I've been saying for a while that we need more characters that are legacies, preferably without being evil like Octavian and Bryce Lawrence. Thankfully, Claudia fulfills that much needed role. As a legacy of Mercury, she prefers to rely on her cunning and wits rather than brute force to solve her problems. For example, she likes to dig trenches or climb up a tree and drop things on her opponents. She was worried that it wouldn't be considered a proper Roman tactic, but thankfully, it's considered a perfectly valid form of combat.

I've also been saying that need more children of the minor gods, and we got that too. Claudia makes a friend named Janice, who is a daughter of Janus. Before you ask, unlike her father, she only has one face. This really adds fuel to my speculation that the gods have a thing for puns, especially when it comes to names. Janice was also born and raised in New Rome. In fact, I think it would be nice to have more demigods and legacies who are native to New Rome. Hmm, I wonder if those born and raised in New Rome have to train with Lupa before joining the legion? The Roman gods are usually more hands-off compared to their Greek counterparts. However, occasionally they will disguise themselves as humans and settle down in New Rome for a bit to raise families. Keep this in mind, it will be important later on.

Rounding out the trio we have Blaise, a son of Vulcan. I'm not a super hardcore Star Trek fan, more of the very casual sort, but Blaise being a son of Vulcan got a chuckle out of me, though he is not stoic. We get some extremely vague hints that Claudia might like him, but for now at least, they're just friends. I thought it was a nice touch to have a girl and a boy be friends without being romantically involved. Like most children of Vulcan, he's quite handy with a forge and inventions.

I liked that we got to explore more of Camp Jupiter and New Rome through Claudia's eyes. I've said before that I feel that the Roman demigods get the short end of the stick when it comes to the main books. As such, it was nice to have a book entirely devoted to the Roman side of the Riordanverse. We see that there is a shop that sells action figures of the Roman gods and goddesses, with accessories sold separately. Amusingly, this does have some historical basis. Several souvenirs and trinkets were sold at gladiator games and chariot races, including figurines of the different types of gladiators. You could also buy commemorative glasses made of actual glass. Here's hoping the toy shop didn't have any Pluto action figures in stock when Nico visited New Rome. Probably would have evoked bad memories about how Bianca died.

Speaking of gladiator games, they are still a popular form of entertainment in New Rome. They haven't changed that much since the days of Old Rome. Well, fights aren't too the death anymore, but they're still violent and bloody; in fact, Claudia gets to sit in a section call The Splash Zone specifically because that's the part that gets the most blood spatter all over it. Okay, that's just plain unsanitary. There are plenty of pathogens that are spread via blood. Granted, New Rome does have plenty of magical healing options that are probably superior to mortal medicine, but it still seems like an awfully cavalier attitude to public health and sanitation. On a minor note, you have to bring your own seat cushions. I know that New Rome is try to preserve as much of the legacy of Old Rome as possible, but really, is it all that bad give some cushions for the coliseum?

We also learn that the bathhouse has a secret entrance, though it involves swimming through a pipe and some netting. Personally, that sounds way too scary for my taste. Still, apparently some legionaries like to use it for romantic rendezvous after curfew. Normally, the life guards don't like people getting too frisky in the bathhouse. Wait, does that mean bathing is communal? I mean, it was during Roman times, but even then, the bathhouses were separated by gender. I would assume that the bathhouse would also be separated by gender, given how Reyna reacted when Frank accidentally sent an Iris Message to her while she was using the bathhouse.

It was nice to see more of the mundane aspects of life at Camp Jupiter. For example, at one point Claudia is assigned to clean the stables are part of her Elephants, Unicorns, and Giant Eagles class. Turns out you have to be quick when bagging the poop, or else you'll still be holding onto the bag when the eagles swoop it away. Also, on multiple occasions it is mentioned that Claudia chooses to wear sandals, only for that to prove to be a bad idea. I'm just saying, the definition of insanity doing the same thing twice and expecting different results. Also, at one point the mess hall gets donuts, but Claudia has to go chat with Elon the faun. By the time she gets back the only donuts left are coconut, and for some reason she finds this terrible. Really, Claudia? How can you not like coconut donuts?

Anyway, so Claudia does some digging around based on mysterious dreams and messages she's been getting. This leads her to a startling discovery: the ancile is missing! Okay, some explanation is in order. The ancile was a cello-shaped shield that was kept the temple of Mars Ultor. As long as the ancile survived, then so too would Rome. These days, the ancile is supposed to be kept at the temple of Mars Ultor in New Rome. If the ancile were to be destroyed, it would be New Rome's equivalent of the hearth fire of Camp Half-Blood getting destroyed. In fact, it might actually be worse, as the ancile would take the last remnant of Old Rome with it. That would mean all the mythical beings associated with Rome would potentially go poof; no more fauns, no more cynocephali, even Bombilo the two-head barista would be toast. The Olympians would probably be powerful enough to survive, and they've got their Greek counterparts to fall back on, but the minor gods would be in serious danger of fading away. The Romans had tons of minor gods for oddly specific things. Apparently, many of these minor gods and goddesses are basically on life support because hardly anyone remembers them anymore.

I should have mentioned this before, but as usually with these retrospectives there will be spoilers, so be careful about moving beyond this point if you don't want any of that. But if you want to see my thoughts on "The Singer of Apollo" skip down a few paragraphs.

I liked the way Claudia investigated the strange dreams she'd been having. She tried talking to Terminus, but he blew her off. So, she takes one step back from the Pomerian Line, then step forward again, because Terminus always appears whenever someone sets foot on the Pomerian Line. He blows her off again, but she repeats this process until he finally caves and answers her questions.

So, who would want to destroy the ancile, and with it, Camp Jupiter and New Rome? Well, Claudia's dad used to be in the legion, and he helped a young girl named Mimi find her way to Camp Jupiter. She was a daughter of Mefitis, the goddess of noxious vapors that emanate from the earth. Did I mention that the Romans had some weirdly specific minor deities? Unfortunately, this meant she had quite the odor, and even Terminus tried to turn her away. The other campers couldn't stand her stink, and eventually she was kicked out of Camp Jupiter. These days, she lives in a trailer at the San Francisco landfill, and is still harbors great resentment towards Camp Jupiter.

Okay, plotting to destroy New Rome is going way to far, but Mimi is kind of right that Camp Jupiter screwed her over. Surely, they could have found something for her to do. Maybe have her work in sanitation and disposal, or sewer maintenance, or help clean the stables? She didn't choose to be born with super stink powers that she can't control. Yet none of the characters ever dwell on this or acknowledge it. I guess she lost their sympathy with the whole plotting to destroy Camp Jupiter and New Rome thing. Also, remember when Apollo wished he knew some children of Cloacina, the goddess of sewers? Well, turns out she does have kids at Camp Jupiter, but unlike children of Mefitis, they do not smell stinky.

Also, I noticed that Reyna came across as a bit harsher and sterner than usual. Though, I guess you could justify it in that the book is told form Claudia's perspective, so that skews things. Though, Frank's characterization seemed fairly correct. Having said that, it was pretty weird that Hazel was nowhere to be seen. Maybe it was because Claudia only ever sees Frank doing praetor stuff with Reyna. Still, you'd think Claudia would have encountered Hazel at some point, even if only briefly.

So, the day is saved, and Claudia even get to meet her long-lost mother. Turns out she's Cardea, goddess of hinges and thresholds. That means that, in addition to being a legacy, Claudia is also a child of one of the minor gods. That just makes her even more awesome than she already was. We also get confirmation of something I've long suspected. When Cardea gives Claudia her tattoo, she gets a hinge for Cardea and a caduceus for Mercury. I wonder if there is a cut-off point of being a legacy. If not, then presumably there's at least a few campers with tattoos like Scar from Fullmetal Alchemist. Also, apparently getting your Camp Jupiter tattoo does indeed hurt. But hey, we end with the feeling that this is just the start of many more adventures for Claudia and her friends.

We'll discuss this more when we get to The Tower of Nero next time, but Rick has said The Trails of Apollo will be the last multibook series. However, he is open to doing standalone novels in the future. He says he wants these standalones to be something people could read without needing to read the other fifteen books of the Camp Half-Blood series. You can see Camp Jupiter Classified as something of a trail run for these hypothetical standalone books. It should give you a rough idea of what they would be like. I think it would be great to have them focus on new original demigods and/or legacies. Though it might be nice to have some that explore pre-existing minor characters in more detail. Hey, I can't be the only one holding out hope for a Charles Beckendorf and/or Silena Beauregard prequel novel, can I?

Yes, there is indeed an audiobook version of Camp Jupiter Classified. You should know by now that I will plug those. It is narrated by Erin Cahill, who does a great job. Let's also do a brief cover analysis. The cover is simple yet understated. A purple background with the gold Camp Jupiter logo on it, and a Roman column on the side. Though, personally, the column looks a bit more Greek to me.

So, that was Camp Jupiter Classified. Another short but sweet companion book that I absolutely loved. Hmm, you know, it just occurred to me that I haven't done a retrospective of the short story "Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo." Well, we're already here, so let's take care of that right here and now.

"Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo" begins with Percy and Grover hanging out together in celebration of Grover's birthday. It all starts off well enough, but then the god Apollo ropes them into a quest. One of the chryseae celedones, a group of mechanical singers, is missing. Percy and Grover have to capture the celedon and bring it to Mount Olympus before sundown. One thing is for sure, this is one birthday Grover and Percy will never forget.

This short story was originally published in 2013 as part of the collection Guys Read: Other Worlds, edited by John Scieszka. Guys Read is a series of short story anthologies aimed at boys, particularly reluctant readers, and designed to encourage a lifelong love of reading. Obviously, I bought Other Worlds specially so that I could get "The Singer of Apollo." However, I can attest that, barring one or two exceptions, the other stories are also quite excellent. In fact, I think I may have to do a separate review of them some time.

I had a great time with "The Singer of Apollo." It was like taking a walk down memory lane to the early days when Percy Jackson and the Olympians was just starting out and trying to make a name for itself. In hindsight, it is very nice that this story focuses on an adventure with just Percy and Grover. G-Man was sorely missed in The Heroes of Olympus. This is another story that shows that Percy is having adventures even when he isn't on a major quest, or at Camp Half-Blood.

Another hindsight aspect is that this story demonstrates how much Apollo has grown as a character throughout The Trials of Apollo. Here, he sends Percy and Grover to do his dirt work without a second thought, or a care for their safety or prior birthday plans. He can't even be bothered to remember which of them is having the birthday. It also interesting to contrast how he is presented. Here, Apollo comes across as a Mr. Cool Dude celebrity type, but also reads as straight. We only get the slightest hints of the flamboyant and fabulous bisexual personality he has in The Trials of Apollo.

Riordan has said that "Singer of Apollo" is set between The Last Olympian and The Lost Hero. Despite this, Percy doesn't mention his Curse of Achilles, and he is concerned about falling off of a billboard at one point, even though that shouldn't have been an issue. I will say I did love how Percy was able to get out of said situation with the billboard by thinking about what Annabeth would say to him. Also, Naked Cowboy made a surprise cameo at one point. He isn't referred to by name, but it is clearly meant to be him. He's a musician who plays guitar in Times Square wearing nothing but a cowboy hat, boots, and two pairs of underwear. If you're wondering, under New York City law, one pair of underwear is considered nudity, but two pairs are considered clothing.

Jesse Bernstein once again returns as narrator for the audio version, and he does an excellent job as usual. Yes, there is an audiobook of the anthology. It features a different narrator for each story, and they are all very talented.

All in all, another excellent short story.

Okay, so that covers Camp Jupiter Classified and "Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo." Check them both out if you haven't already. This is the penultimate installment of the Riordan Retrospective, and that means next time is the big finale. It is a surreal feeling, but I will touch on that much more next time.

Speaking of which, join me next time for one final retrospective as we take a look back at The Tower of Nero. I will see you guys next time.

 

The Audio File: Margaritas & Donuts

One of the great things about audio drama is that I get to explore different genres I might not have sought out in other mediums. For example, romantic comedies don't tend to be very high on list of genres I'd normally seek out, but I have experienced many great rom-coms audio dramas. That includes the show we're taking a look at today. We're taking a look at Margaritas & Donuts.

Margaritas & Donuts follows a woman named Josephine. She's a successful pediatrician from Nashville, Tennessee. Life is overall good, but she just hasn't found Mr. Right yet. That all changes when she meets Malik. He's charming, funny, and a gentleman. He's also an ophthalmologist who has just moved into the office across from Josephine. Could he be the one Josephine has been searching for? The podcast follows Josephine and Malik as they go on various dates and get to know each other better.

I follow a lot of audio drama related accounts over on Twitter, as you might imagine. I first became aware of Margaritas & Donuts when one of the accounts, I forget which, retweeted some tweets from BlackAudioDramasExist. As their name suggest, they are dedicated to promoting audio drama produced by black creators. Though, I initially misread the name as BlackAudioDramaSexist. I took a quick look at it. The premise seemed potentially interesting, and it was only six episode long, clocking in at about two hours. So, I decided to give it a try, and it was love at first listen.

I liked how Margaritas & Donuts had a very down to earth feel to it, but was also fun and entertaining. It never felt like I was listening to the story of two overly quirky and impossibly attractive people who could only be falling in love in the magical land of Hollywood. Well, obviously, there is no visual component to audio dramas, beyond the occasional bit of character art, but Josephine and Malik felt like two real people who were letting us in on their love story.

Josephine struggles with the fact that she is still dating into forties. I can relate to that. Now, shocking as I'm sure this will be to many of you, I am not, nor have I ever been, a black woman. However, as of this writing, it is only a few weeks from my twenty-eighth birthday, and I'm still single. My birthday is New Year's Eve, for those wondering. Someday I think, "Shit, my parents were already engaged when they were my age!" I often worry that I might wind up having to date well into my forties. As you can see from how frequently I post these reviews, I'm not exactly a social butterfly. Still, if Josephine can find love, perhaps there is hope for me yet.

Josephine's best friend Katrina is a notable third primary character in the audio drama. She serves as the Greek Chorus, in that she comments on Josephine and Malik's romance, and encourages Josephine to fully commit to a relationship with Malik. Katrina specifically describes Malik as a unicorn, which the other characters, even Malik himself, eventually take up. That is, he's a charming, handsome, educated, financially stable black man who has his life together, and he's still on the market. Katrina has a husband named Ron and has two daughters named Daphne and Lucy, all of whom make minor appearances throughout the audio drama.

Now, you're probably wondering how margaritas and donuts factor into this. Well, Josephine and Malik's first so-of-kinda date is to the local coffee shop, which produces fresh donuts on certain days of the week. Malik's personal favorite are sour cream donuts. At first, I thought he'd gone crazy. Was the icing made of sour cream? But then I looked it up and apparently sour cream is added to the dough before baking. Okay, not as crazy as I was thinking. And yes, Josephine and Malik do have margaritas on their first official date. The podcast ran a promotional deal with an actual donut shop in Nashville. I'd always get very excited when I'd hear those ads, but then I'd remember that it only applied to Nashville residents. Though, they did eventually offer a deal for listeners outside of Nashville.

We have audio dramas that deal with heavy topics relating to the black experience; Harlem Queen and Bronzeville are two that immediately spring to mind. There is definitely a place for these sorts of shows, but I also think that it is equally important to get more black representation in more lighthearted fare. I maintain that one of the best examples of diversity in media is the original Magic School Bus. Just hear me out, it features a diverse cast of characters, but it never draws attention to this fact. It is just a normal accepted part of how Ms. Frizzle' class works. The same, I think, can be said of Margaritas & Donuts. It has a predominately black cast, but it never draws attention to this fact, or feels that need to justify it. I can't remember that last time I saw a romantic comedy with black leads; it is good that Margaritas & Donuts is being the change it wants to see in the world.

For what is, I would assume, a first attempt at audio drama, Margaritas & Donuts is quite well-written and well-acted. I do hope that series creator Faith McQuinn try's her hand at more audio drama someday. If this podcast is anything to go off of, we can expect great things from her in the future. The entire voice acting team gave outstanding performances, and I loved the little bits of jazzy piano music at the beginning and end of each episode.

Okay, I've put it off for as long as I could. We need to discuss some spoilers. So, if you don't want any of that, turn back now.

Last chance, you sure you want to continue?

Well, okay, if you're still here, let's get into it.

So, Josephine begins to suspect that Malik just might be a little too good to be true. I began to ponder the possibilities myself. There was always something that seemed slightly off about the way Malik spoke. I wondered if perhaps it would turn out that he had Asperger's or some other form of high-functioning autism. But no, that ultimately wasn't the case. Obviously, it wouldn't be anything too crazy. Malik wasn't going to turn out to be a serial killer, or a space alien, or anything like that. He also probably wasn't going to turn out to be gay, unless he was exceptionally good at faking attraction to Josephine. What could it be?

On the surface, Malik is a charming, handsome gentleman with a great job, and who has his life together. Beneath the surface...that's exactly what he is. The issue is actually with Josephine. She used to have a fiancé named Eddie, and he was basically perfect...up until he cheated on her. Oh, Eddie tried to break off the affair after he and Josephine got engaged...but then his mistress got pregnant, and he couldn't stand the idea of not being part of his new daughter's life. Well, I guess I ought to give him points for taking responsibility for his actions. Of course, that's all rather mitigated by the fact that he shouldn't have been having affairs in the first place.

Naturally, this had a big impact on Josephine, and made her wary of men who seem too good to be true. Thankfully, Josephine gets over this by realizing that Malik has numerous small flaws and imperfections. For example, pancakes are the only thing he can cook with competence. Really, Malik, you couldn't have used as a basis for figuring out how to cook eggs? But, if his flaws make Josephine happy, I guess that's what matters in the end.

The main show is followed by a special bonus episode that gives an update on the lives of the characters. Specifically, how they are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. I thought it was a very nice episode, and it was good to get to visit the characters again, and see how they were doing. Like I said, I do hope Faith McQuinn write more audio dramas someday. Hey, I'm not the target audience for Margaritas & Donuts and I loved it to pieces. That alone should speak to her talent as a writer.

Well, I don't think there is much more for me to add. Margaritas & Donuts is an excellent romantic comedy with a predominately black cast. It is cute, fun, and I can't recommend it enough. Listen today, you'll be glad that you did.

Well, I think that should do it from me for now. I will see you guys next time.